This year was a summer to remember for our Summer Camps volunteers, who got to go out and explore the world after a previous summer of travel restrictions.
During their 13-night trip, the groups made a real difference at our partner schools, explored their destination and made friends for life.
Kenya
One of our Summer Camps groups headed to Nakuru – Kenya’s fourth largest city – to volunteer at our partner school, Cherish.
At the school, the building and construction volunteers made great progress with the perimeter wall project, picking up where our last group left off. The Summer Camps team also helped to level the new plot of land by filling in the ditch, enabling future groups to continue with the school build.
They also painted the desk and chairs, as well as the alphabet on the outside wall, which students enjoyed repeating back to them as they painted!
Our teaching volunteers helped to deliver lessons, including an amazing art lesson where everybody made animal masks.
Over the weekend, the group explored Kenya and ticked off some of their travel bucket list through our Rift Valley Adventure Day. They went on a safari drive through Lake Nakuru National Park, visited the Equator and hiked down Thomson Falls – one of the deepest waterfalls in East Africa.
Zanzibar
Our second group headed for the historic ‘Spice Island’, Zanzibar, to volunteer at our partner school, Fuoni.
During their trip, the group helped to repair and paint the classroom walls and repaired some of the classroom floors, improving the learning environment for the students.
They also helped in the classrooms, delivering lessons on how to tell the time.
The group got involved with our Menstrual Health Programme, which supports over 8,000 girls in Zanzibar. Before travelling to Zanzibar, the group collected donations of sanitary pads to give to the students at Fuoni. They did a fantastic job, and very generously donated 881 pads, over 500 of which are reusable.
The group also delivered Menstrual Health Workshops to over 400 girls at Fuoni, educating them about their menstrual health and increasing their confidence in managing their period. 25% of girls drop out of school altogether by the time they reach puberty. These workshops are vital, and provide female students with equal access to education, minimising school absences, and helping them to reach their potential.
Away from volunteering, the group enjoyed our Taste of Zanzibar Weekend adventure. Starting in the historic Stone Town, the group soaked up what the island ha to offer by visiting the House of Wonders, an infamous old slave fort, Stone Town’s famous fish market and walked through a spice farm, taking in the smell and taste of famous spices. They then enjoyed a relaxing overnight stay at a nearby beach resort.
We would like to say a massive thank you to our Summer Camp groups, for their contribution to such vital work at our partner schools in Kenya and Zanzibar. We can’t wait to do it all again next summer with our 2023 Summer Camps. Find out how you can get involved here and if you book your place before 31st October, you will receive £100 off!
